Fight for the Care, Now!
Your input on challenges faced by family caregivers will assist the federal Family Caregiving Advisory Council.
If you are the caregiver for a family member or friend, you know first-hand the challenges and sacrifices that come with the job. On the one hand, it may be a privilege to help someone who has likely helped you in the past, but on the other hand, the responsibility can be overwhelming. That’s why we need your input as we Fight for the Care, now! The deadline for your submission is Friday, February 8, 2020.
Your input on challenges faced by family caregivers will assist the federal Family Caregiving Advisory Council.
When you submit your input to the Administration for Community Living (ACL) you will provide the ACL with information regarding:
- Your pressing family caregiving needs and concerns; and
- Your specific recommendations.
That will help U.S. federal agencies provide assistance to caregivers as they help their loved ones. ACL knows: America’s over 40 million caregivers are pressed for time, so they have simplified the process for you to express your views, opinions, suggestions, and more.
Your input on challenges faced by family caregivers will also assist the Family Caregiving Advisory Council as it develops its initial report to Congress, a national family caregiving strategy, and planned 2020 public listening sessions.
All submissions will be reviewed and considered. The complete, helpful ‘request for information’ (RFI) is available as a Word document.
The Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
“…is seeking input on the challenges faced by family caregivers from individuals and organizations that capture the breadth of the family caregiving experience. This information will be used to assist the Family Caregiving Advisory Council in developing its initial report to Congress and to inform the development of the national family caregiving strategy. It also will be used to help the Council plan future activities, including public listening sessions that will begin in 2020.”
Details and a submission form are available at Public Input: RAISE Administration for Community Living.
If you are unfamiliar with recent legislation to help caregivers, the following information will be helpful.
The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act was signed into law on January 22, 2018. The act directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national family caregiving strategy, which will identify actions to recognize and support family caregivers, to include:
- Promoting greater adoption of person- and family-centered care in all healthcare and long-term service and support settings, with the person and the family caregiver at the center of care teams
- Assessment and service planning (including care transitions and coordination) involving care recipients and family caregivers
- Information, education, training supports, referral, and care coordination
- Respite options
- Financial security and workplace issues
The RAISE Family Caregivers Act was introduced—
- In the Senate by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) with Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and 14 other cosponsors.
- In the House of Representaitves by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-MS) with Kathy Castor (D-FL) and 111 other cosponsors.
The RAISE Act directed the establishment of the Family Caregiving Advisory Council (with diverse, robust representation) which is charged:
“…with providing recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on effective models of both family caregiving and support to family caregivers, as well as improving coordination across federal government programs.”
What else can you do?
Family caregivers are at the center of society’s circles of support and provide a connection with community services, and society. Consider a kitchen-table conversation with family and friends to help you gather your thoughts as you prepare to provide input to ACL. Just as family caregivers help, they also need help — and you can help, now, by participating in effecting change.
Please feel free to comment on this post by clicking the “Response” button at the bottom of this page.
In closing, the Administration for Community Living will benefit from the proceeds gained if the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act is enacted. Please message your Congressional representatives, keep informed on developments, and share. For more information about this fundraising stamp, visit StampOutElderAbuse.org.
#FightForTheCare #Caretakers #ElderJustice
